Helicopter



Jan. 7, 1930. J. E. HESS HELICOPTER Filed Feb. 9, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR ATT OR NEYS Jan. 7, 1930. I J, E, S 1,742,808

HELICOPTER Filed Feb. 9, 1928 2 ShetS-Sheet 2 INVENTOR domv E. HessPatented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT or-m HELICOPTER Applicationfiled February 8, 1928. Serial No. 253,143.

My invention relates to; improvements in helicopters the objectsdf'which are to provide means whereby the machine is capable of risingfrom a running takeoff or vertically as desired, whereby the machine mayfunction by gliding in a manner substantially similar to an aeroplane ofconventional type, or may descend with'safety either vertically or in avolplane with its engine stopped.

The invention consists essentially of a fuselage which is adapted to beraised by apair of propellers mounted for. rotation about vertical axes,which propellers are concavo convex in cross section and are providedat'the trailing edge of each blade with a flap which is adapted to haveits rear edge'brought into contact with the following blade adjacent itsforward edge that the propeller may serve as a parachute, as will bemore fully described in the following specification and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of theinvention.

Fig. 2'is a front elevational view of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the position of the horizontalrudders when travelling in difi'erent directions.

- Fig.4 is a diagrammatic View showingvarying positions of the tail skidand its ef-.

fect.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner of controlling thehorizontal rudders. Fig. 6 is a detail view of'the horizontal ruddercontrol levers.

Fig. 7 .is a fragmentary view of the propelger blade arrangement and thegap closing aps.

indicate corresponding parts in each fi re.

The numeral 1 indicates generally 'a uselage having a cockpit 2 andmounted upon a suitable landing gear 3, fitted with wheels 4. The rearend of thetfuselagel is fitted- In the drawings like characters ofreference levers generally indicated by the numeral 8 convementlylocated in the cockpit, which levers are shown in detail in Figures 5and 6. The-horizontal rudders 6 and 7 are secured to suitably.journalled rotatable pivot pins 9 and 10 respectively, which are fittedwith sheaves 11 and 12, corresponding sheaves 13 and 14 are freelymounted upon a shaft 15 and endless control wires extend between thesesheaves and those of the horizontal rudders,'one of said wires numbered16 being crossed and extending from the sheave 13 to the sheave 11, andthe other wire numbered 17 extending as a straight drive from the sheave14 to the sheave 12, so that when both sheaves 13 and 14 are turnedinthe same direction, the rudders 6 and 7 will be inclined in oppositedirections; The levers 8 consist of two members, one numbered 18 beingoperatively connected to the sheave 13 and the other numbered 19 beingsimilarly connected to the sheave 14. The upper ends of each of the?lever members 18 and 19 are offset as at 20 and are provided with lugs21 for the purpose of hingingly sup- 75 porting handles 22 which areheld in horizontal position by any suitable spring ten- -sion. The innerend of each of the handles 22 passes through an aperture in the upperend of its lever member and terminates with. 89

., a pron'ged member 23 so arranged as to interlock when aligned asshown, and to be detached. from each other, as-shown in dotted line,when either of the handles 22' are de pressed, so that when the handlesarelinter- 35 locked the movement ofone of them will impart movement'through'both lever members 18 and 19 to both sheaves 13 and 14s in asin gle direction and opposed movement to the rudders 6 and 7 but if asimilar direction of inclination is required with both horizontalrudders one of the handles 22 may be depressed to disengage it. from itsfellow and 0th lever members 18 and 19 be moved in opposite directions.

.- Secured to the underside ofthe fuselage 1- is a forked-bracket 24 inwhich a tail skid 25 is pivotally mounted, the forward end of which isfitted with a cable=26 leadingoversuitable pulleys to a positionconvenient to to side slipping when travelling in bumpy atmosphere andto assist in a similar manner when descending vertically with thepropellers stationary.

Extending transversely from the fuselage is a pair of lattice frames 30each having a vertical member 31 at its outer extremity supportingbearings 32 in which a vertical shaft 33 is mounted. The vertical shafts33 are adapted to be driven in opposite directions through mitre gears34 and a pair of aligned transverse shafts 35 which are adapted to berotated from a suitable motor, not shown, carried within the fuselage.At the upper extremity of each shaft 33 is a propeller 36 which isformed with blades or planes 37 carried upon a suitable spider or framework 38. The inner end of the planes terminates at an appreciabledistance from the axis of the spider 38 so as to provide a centralaperture 39. Each plane is concavo convex in cross section and inlongitudinal section, the whole of the blades or planes being sodisposed as a unit about the vertical axis of the propeller as to beconcavo convex also, thus conforming substantially to the contour of aparachute. The planes or blades 37 each have an upper or leading edge 40and a trailing edge 41, see Figure 7, and to the trailing edge of eachis hingedly connected a series of flaps 42 which in normal flight assumean angle parallel to the trailing edge of the plane to which they areattached, as shown in Figures 1' and 2, and are forced into an upwardand rearwardly inclined angle on the propeller ceasing to rotate when infli ht, as shown in Figure 7, where their'traihng edges come intocontact with the underside of the next following plane 37 adjacent itsforwardedge as at 43, thus closing the gap between the upper or leadingedge of one plane andv the trailing edge of the next preceding plane ofthe propeller, converting it automatically from a propeller having avertical lifting effort dur ing rotation into an extended parachuteondescendingsubsequent to'the cessation of rotation.

Having thus described the several parts of my invent-ion I will nowbriefly explain its function.

Prior to rising vertically from the ground the tail skid 25 is set atsuch an angle as is shown in diagram A in Figure which will dispose thepropellers 36 in a horizontal position to direct the air currentproduced thereby vertically downwards. The air stream will obviouslyconverge as it leaves thepropellers so that a portion of it will strikethe rear portion of the forward rudders 7, which would be inclinedupwards and forwardly after leaving the ground, so that the air strikingit would be deflected rearwardly as shown in diagram E of Figure 3, on asuflicient altitude being reached the rear rudder 6 would be set in acorresponding opposite direction to that of the rudder 7, thus inducinga slight downward tendency at the rear of the machine, which iscounteracted by the portion of air flow from the propeller whichimpinges upon the forward rudder, so that the total air force isdirected to maintaining the machine at a substantially constantelevation and to impart to it a forward motion as indicated. If it isdesired to rise from a running takeo-fl", the tail skid 25 is set in theposition shown in diagram B of Figure 4, thus disposing the propellersin a forwardly inclined plane, so that the lifting tendency thereofisboth upward and forward. On reaching the ground,

-the tail skid is lowered to the. position shown ary, such as in makinga forced landing, the

horizontal rudders are disposed vertically or at such an angle as toovercome any forward or rearward motion, lateral movement beingcounteracted by means of the vertical fin 29.

When it is desired to tilt the machine downwards, it suffices to set theforward rudder 7 in a horizontal position and the rearward rudder 6 asshown in diagram F of Figure 3, when some of thelifting efiect of thepropellers is counteracted by the air stream impinging upon the uppersurface of the forward rudder, while the rearward rudder is serving toelevate the rear end of the fuselage 1. v

It will be obvious that by providing means whereby the horizontalrudders may be actuated individually or jointly in either direction thatany desired effect may be obtained to the pitch of the machine when inflight, so that forward movement may be had, or the machine so adjusted-that it will remain withou longitudinal movement if desired.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. 'In ahelicopter, a vertical shaft having a propeller concavo convexin cross section and formed with blades spaced apart extending drivenfrom a source of power, a forward and a rearward horizontal rudder, alever member for imparting motion to each rudder, and,

means for connecting said lever members together for simultaneousmovement. 4 Dated at Vancouver, B. (3., this 30th day of January, 1928.

JOHN E. HESS.

